Aircraft gas turbine engines include a number of components requiring lubrication. Examples of such components include rotor shaft rolling element bearings, gear teeth and journal bearings for supporting gears. These components may be supplied with lubricant by different, parallel branches of a lubrication system. Certain of these components may be relatively intolerant to lubricant starvation. Other components may have relatively more tolerance for lubricant starvation.
In a conventional lubrication system, events such as aircraft maneuvers can result in lubricant starvation of both the starvation tolerant components and the starvation intolerant components. As a result, the starvation intolerant components may suffer significant damage requiring subsequent replacement of those components. In more extreme situations, the starvation intolerant components may be rendered inoperative. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a lubrication system architecture that continues to deliver lubricant, at least temporarily, to the starvation intolerant components.